


Perfect Storm

by Graymuse42



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asexual Character, Kidnapping, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Separation Anxiety, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:48:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29513433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graymuse42/pseuds/Graymuse42
Summary: There were 3 things Cisco Ramon knew about soulmates.1: The first words your soulmate ever said to you were printed somewhere on your body.2: Your time with soulmates was limited.3: He would make the first move.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon/Leonard Snart
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So..... Here's a soulmate AU because I haven't seen this ship have a soulmate AU yet.   
> (Will this be the only soulmate AU I write for them? Probably not, I adore soulmate AUs.)

There were 3 things Cisco Ramon knew about soulmates.

1: The first words your soulmate ever said to you were printed somewhere on your body.

While drunk one night Caitlin had shown him her words, traced around her shoulder. _God you have beautiful eyes._ Ronnie had uttered those words the first day he saw her working at Star Labs, and she hadn’t stopped smiling since.

Everyone had the words on their body. It was the plot of almost every movie, entire ‘reality tv shows’ made about trying to find your one when multiple people had the same common phrase, but you always knew.

When those first words were uttered, the words on your body burned. There was no way to fake that.

2: Your time with soulmates was limited.

He’d learned this lesson the day the particle accelerator blew up, and Caitlin lost her soulmate so soon after meeting him. She’d screamed as the soul bond flared with pain, and died. And for the next month all Cisco could hear was that scream. All he could see was his friend clutching her shoulder, tears streaming down her face as her soulmate burned.

When you found your soulmate, you had to hold on. Tight.

3: He would make the first move.

Every morning he’d wake up, and trace faint words spiraling along his stomach, wondering what situation he’d be in when his soulmate uttered the words that had been etched into his skin since middle school. _What do you want me to say, soulmate?_

He hoped it was someone just too flustered to think of anything better, or maybe it was meant as a joke? Or maybe he’d somehow manage to invent something that let his soulmate speak for the first time!

Or, as his brother so helpfully pointed out, maybe his own soulmate was a computer he’d build. Not even human. Just a robot answering a prompt.

He didn’t want to think that it could be resignation. That his own soulmate might be so disappointed in their bond that he wouldn’t even bother to come up with something clever to say. But that wouldn’t happen, right? His soulmate was the one person in the universe that he was destined to be with. The universe wouldn’t pair him with someone who couldn’t stand him, would it?

The wrecked train burned around them, ice still trapping Barry to the ground, and Cisco knew he had to hurry. He powered up the vacuum, and aimed. “Back the hell up, Captain Cold.”

He heard the other man suck in a breath. “I wondered who you were talking to,” he commented to Barry.

“This is a prototype cold gun. 4 times the size, 4 times the power.”

“And you two are really fine holding such a powerful weapon?” He asked Caitlin and Felicity, gun still aimed but finger away from the trigger. “4 times the power, what would happen if it were to break?”

“Oy! I can design things better than to just randomly break!” but Cold was turning away from Cisco again, back to Barry.

“None of you have ever killed before. I can see it in your eyes. You don’t have what it takes-”

“Stop ignoring me and talk to me, damn it!” Cisco yelled, and the cold gun lowered fractionally as Cold turned back to him.

“…What do you want me to say, soulmate?”

For a moment Cisco forgot to breath, the words along his stomach burning, and he almost dropped the vacuum. He took a step back, grasping it all the harder even as his knees threatened to buckle. This was his soulmate. But it didn’t change what was happening right here, right now.

“I want you to back away from my friend!”

Cold glanced between them, sighed, and lowered his weapon. “You get a pass this time kid. But this is the only time. You being my soulmate isn’t going to change me.”

He walked away, and Cisco could do nothing but stare at him as he left.

This was so much worse than anything Dante had ever said.

“Is there anything I can get you?”

Cisco looked up to see Caitlin standing there, blanket in one arm and beer in the other. “That obvious, huh?”

She nodded, sitting down next to him and handing him the beer. “Soulmates… sometimes we don’t know why the universe pairs people together. Sure, everyone talks about the awesome moments where soulmates automatically click, and everything’s great, but not everyone gets that. Sometimes soulmates are on opposite sides of a war, sometimes you get soulmates where one’s a criminal, and the other a police officer,”

“You’re just saying this so I feel better about him walking away.”

Caitlin draped the soft blanket around his shoulders, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. “That’s not supposed to happen. I’m so sorry for you. If you want to talk… I’m here.”

Cisco nodded, trying to sort through his emotions. “It’s just… there’s this aching hole in my chest, and the words are still burning… I don’t want it to be him.”

“You didn’t say you don’t want him though,”

Cisco shook his head. “Alright, so maybe I had a thing for bad boys back in high school, that doesn’t mean I want my _soulmate_ to be a criminal. He’s killed a man. In the last 24 hours. How can that be my soulmate??”

Caitlin was silent for a moment. “Did I ever tell you about how my parents met?” Cisco shook his head, so Caitlin continued. “They couldn’t stand each other. They spent their first 24 hours bickering over _everything._ They were both scientists, but apart from that they were polar opposites. My mother was cold and calculating, my father was charismatic and warm, and they couldn’t agree on anything.”

“And they made it work out?”

“Hardly. They were at each other’s throats most days and argued as much as they collaborated. If it weren’t for the fact that they were soulmates, I don’t think they’d ever have ended up together.”

“I don’t really see how this is supposed to make me feel better.”

“Your soulmate isn’t your other half. You’re whole on your own. Your soulmate is someone who can complement your personality, someone with whom you can create something amazing.”

“Like you.”

“Actually I meant their scientific achievements. But thank you.”

Cisco chuckled, wrapping his blanket around himself tighter. “…I can feel him. In the bond. He’s angry.”

“That’s entirely possible. Until you two touch, and cement the bond, your body is going to try to pull you both back together.”

“I know. The 24 hours together to get to know each other better, right?” Cisco glanced down at his hands. “How long do I have?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know there’s more to those 24 hours than just ‘getting to know each other.’ Medically, soulmates who don’t immediately bond start to deteriorate.”

“You’ve probably got about a month before it becomes a serious problem, but you’ll start feeling it almost immediately. Anxiety, dizziness, chills, your body’s going to try to force you two to cement the bond. But you want some good news?”

“There’s good news?”

There was a mischievous twinkle in Caitlin’s eyes. “Since he’s the one that walked away from you, his symptoms are going to be much worse.”

Helping their new meta had been a great distraction from his soulmate troubles. Finally, a meta who wasn’t evil! Sure the government was after her but with Barry’s speed, they wouldn’t catch her.

He ducked into Jitters on his way to the lab, determined to solve the problem before the day was up. Coffee was a requirement.

There had to be a way for them to help her live a normal life though. Maybe he could design some kind of special gloves to mitigate her powers so she could live normally?

Paying for his coffee he moved to wait, running calculations. The reaction didn’t initiate until she stopped touching the material, perhaps he could load a spring into a normal pair of gloves, so all she’d have to do is press a spring at the end of the day to throw the gloves across the room and blow up in a safe environment? Or maybe he could create a blast-proof box for her to dispose of the gloves in at the end of the day?

His train of thought came to an abrupt halt. Jitters was the last place Cisco thought he’d run into his soulmate again, but there he was, not a week later, standing in line as Cisco waited for his coffee. His heart lurched when he saw Cold, and he considered running out the door immediately, but he shook his head. If he ran off without his coffee people might ask questions next time he was in. He was here regularly enough for people to ask questions.

On the other hand, maybe he could just find another coffee shop and ditch this one entirely? Pros and cons: Pros, amazing coffee. Cons, running into the jackass soulmate who had walked away from him after saying his words, and, oh yeah: had HELD HIS OWN WEAPON TO HIS FRIEND. Oh, and had derailed a train.

Before Cisco could decide, Cold was through the line, and was at Cisco’s side, smiling at the barista who handed Cisco his coffee. “Soulmate,” Cold greeted, and Cisco turned to leave only to find Cold’s hand on his elbow, and Cisco was very grateful he’d warn a jacket today. He didn’t need to connect right now.

Cold directed Cisco to one of the chairs, sitting down across from him. “How have you been, soulmate?”

“Oh no, no you don’t get to do that. You walked away from me, remember?”

“Simply because I didn’t particularly feel like completing our bond somewhere I could be arrested so easily. I’m making up for it now, aren’t I?”

“I’m not bonding with you in public.”

“It’s not like I’m asking you to make out with me, it’s any physical contact.”

“Yeah, I know how bonds work! Doesn’t change the fact that I’m not going to bond somewhere where anyone could get a picture and realize that I’m the soulmate of Captain Cold!”

“You know, I’ve had that name on my shoulder most of my life. I always thought you’d end up being a criminal, spouting an underground nickname. Being a supervillain never occurred to me. Perhaps I’m not as open minded as I’d originally thought.”

“Good for you. I grew up knowing I’d be a disappointment to my soulmate. So, now that we’re done talking about our words, I’m going.”

He moved to stand up, but Cold blocked him with a hand on his still covered arm. Cisco glared at the hand till Cold released his arm, almost pleadingly. “Kid, I’m not trying to pick a fight, but we’re soulmates, we’ve got to do something about it.”

“I have a name you know,”

“You’ve never told it to me.”

“You didn’t look it up?”

“Oh I did, but I thought it might be rude to start calling you by your name till you told me.”

“Rude?? Our first words were while you had a _gun_ to my friend’s _head._ A gun _I_ built!”

“I get it. I’m nobody’s ideal candidate for a soulmate. I’ve accepted that. But if we don’t cement this damn bond, it’s going to keep getting worse. I’m sure you’ve started to feel it.”

“Oh, you mean the anxiety? Dizziness? I can handle it.”

“For now, yes. Give it a month and you won’t be able to stand anymore. Soulmates can’t reject each other, they go insane and die.”

“Well then contact me in a month.” Cisco moved to go around him, but Cold stepped in his way again.

“I’m not asking to be a part of your life. You don’t want me. Got it. But the sooner we cement this bond the less hassle it’ll be. You know the long term bonds only get stronger the more they’re rejected, right?” Rhetorical question. Everyone knew that. The longest soulmates on record had gone without connecting was 6 weeks. One of them was catatonic by the time they’d connected. “Not right now, I can work with that. Tonight, your place? 24 hours to bond, then we can go back to pretending the other doesn’t exist.”

Cisco glared. “It’s your fault this bond’s so strong anyway. You walked away.”

“Can you honestly tell me that your friend in red wouldn’t have arrested me if I’d stayed? What about the cops at the station? I already told you, you being my soulmate isn’t going to change me. I’m not going to prison for you.”

“I’m saying I watched my damn soulmate walk away from me after saying my words. So I’m sorry if I’m not exactly jumping at the chance to bond.”

“We’re both going to have to make the best of what we have. So are we agreed? Your place tonight?”

Cisco rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll let my work know. But after that, I never want to hear from you again.”

Cold nodded. “Then I’ll see you this evening, Cisco.”

Cisco moved past him. “See you then, Cold.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone think they'd have it easy? Ha, no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but the title for the work is from War by Icon for Hire. Beautiful song, not related to the work, just a really cool song. 
> 
> Holy cow you guys seemed to really like last chapter! I hope this one lives up to your expectations! Thank you so much!

If only the day had been that simple.

By the time Cisco got to Star Labs, Bette was gone. Barry found her of course. Just in time for her to be shot. Cisco barely had time to grieve before her body turned into a bomb, and they had to help Barry _run on water._ One day he’d get used to this city. One day.

The fallout of that, combined with Eiling’s response kept them busy for most of the day, so it wasn’t till late afternoon that Cisco finally had a chance to talk to Wells alone.

“Hey, do you have a moment?” He asked while Caitlin was examining Barry after another training fall.

“Of course Cisco. What can I do for you?”

He took a deep breath, trying to sort through the words in his head. “You remember how I met my soulmate?”

Wells stiffened next to him. “Ah yes. Snart. A less than ideal situation.”

“Well, he’s reached out. Since we never cemented the bond, but we’ve said each other’s words…”

“You have to cement it before something terrible happens, yes. I’m aware.” Cisco was still struggling with the way to phrase the next part, but Wells beat him to it. “I’m assuming you’re telling me this because you need time off to cement your bond?”

Cisco nodded. “Exactly. I won’t be able to come in tomorrow, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Soulmates are beyond our control. As much as I cannot congratulate you on who your soulmate is, I do have some advice if you’d let me.”

Cisco nodded. Wells had lost his own soulmate at a young age. Maybe everyone here was cursed with their soulmates. A pang of confusion from the other side of their bond. He must have been radiating his own resentment.

“You’ve probably heard that soulmates aren’t your other half. And that’s true. You’re your own person, and if you ever feel like he’s not treating you like you should be treated, then you need to communicate that, and know that your friends always have your back.”

“Dr. Wells, you don’t have to worry, this isn’t-”

“However,” Wells continued, “this is still your soulmate. And you never know how limited your time might be. It’s not what you were expecting. But the universe has a tendency of… fixing, certain problems. If it thinks two people should be in each other’s lives, it’ll make sure it happens.”

Cisco was silent, processing. Snart, important in his life? Doubtful. “Thank you, Dr. Wells. I’ll keep that in mind.”

24 hours with Snart. This wasn’t going to go well. Cisco sighed, pocketing his phone, heading home. Home where Snart would be waiting. He’d told the others after he’d told Wells. They’d taken it pretty well. Caitlin had hugged him. Barry had looked rather awkward, but that made sense. He’d connected with his soulmate at a very young age, and had been Ace for as long as he’d known what it meant.

Cisco shook his head as he crossed the street, heading towards Jitters to pick up coffee. Coffee made everything better.

It wasn’t like the bonding process involved sex. It could, but it didn’t have to. It was perfectly normal not to jump ones soulmate. Especially in circumstances like this. There was no point in sleeping with his soulmate if he never planned on seeing him again.

The anxiety he’d been feeling for the last few days increased a couple notches at the thought. Never seeing Snart again.

Dumb soulmate bonds, trying to force him and Snart closer together.

Dr. Wells’ words from earlier came back to him. _”If the universe thinks two people should be in each other’s lives, it’ll make sure it happens.”_

Great.

Well, he didn’t need Snart in his life, even if he was his soulmate.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than arms wrapped around his waist pulling him into the alley, and a gloved hand covered his mouth, muffling his scream.

He struggled, but the arms just got tighter, dragging him backwards. Who were these people? He tried to get a look, but they were fast, jabbing a syringe into his neck. As darkness washed over him, he felt a phantom sense of panic that had to be from Snart. Then nothing.

Regaining consciousness sucked. The room was spinning, the slightest light driving nails into his skull. He groaned, rolling over only to find his hands were tied behind his back,

“So you’re the soulmate.” Cisco opened his eyes against the light to see an older man standing over him. What was it with older white dudes causing him so many problems recently?

He glanced around the room, taking stock of his surroundings as his vision cleared. One cot, a toilet, and a steel door with a slat at the bottom. He was in a cell. Great.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about dude. But if you think you’re getting away with this you’re wrong.”

A foot connected with Cisco’s side and he coughed, curling in on himself. “My name is Lewis, and I’m positive we’ve got the right guy. You’re Leonard’s soulmate. Don’t even try to deny it, my men got pictures of you talking today.” Lewis grinned down at him. “And you haven’t even bonded yet. Makes things that much easier for me.”

Someone with a grudge against Snart. That wasn’t good. Cisco could feel his odds of survival dwindling. “Are you going to kill me?”

Lewis laughed, and Cisco decided he hated that laugh. “Kill you? No. No, why would I do that? It would end Leonard’s suffering. No, I’m going to leave him with no idea what’s happened to you. Nothing but an incomplete bond, steadily growing worse and worse. I’m not going to do anything to you. Your own bond is going to drive you both insane. And then, once you’re so far past any semblance of sanity, I’ll finally let you kill yourself.”

Cisco’s blood ran cold. “Why… what the FUCK did Snart do to you to make you think any of this is okay?!”

“Who cares about why people think things are ‘okay’. People who need to justify their actions are weak. Nothing more. But if you need a reason,” Lewis grabbed Cisco’s shirt, hauling him up by it until Cisco was inches from his face. “Because my son drove my soulmate away from me. So I’m going to make sure he never gets a chance to know his.”

Lewis dropped Cisco back onto the ground and Cisco grit his teeth at the pain from his wrists, almost positive he’d heard something snap.

Stepping back through the door, Lewis called out: “Get comfortable Mr. Ramon, you’ve got the rest of your life to spend in this room.” Then he closed the door, a latch sliding in place with a clang.

Len had turned off his phone for the day once he arrived at Cisco’s apartment. Lisa hadn’t stopped pestering him since she’d heard about him meeting his soulmate, and he didn’t feel like explaining to her that this was probably the last time they’d see each other.

Although, that did give him more reason to challenge the Flash. He’d have that many more chances to see his soulmate.

His soulmate who _didn’t want him_ he had to keep reminding himself.

The sinking feeling that had been growing in his gut for the last few hours was getting worse, and he tried to tell himself that it was just Cisco’s nerves transferring over, or the bond trying to push them together. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He glanced at the time on the stove. Past 6. Odd. His stakeouts of Cisco’s habits showed he usually arrived home by 5:30. Maybe he was late today because he was trying to avoid him?

Then everything went wrong.

Phantom anxiety and fear flared through the bond, followed by a sharp pain on the side of his neck, and dizziness. Dropping to the floor Len tried to steady himself against the couch, then it was all gone.

“Cisco,” he pushed himself off the floor, grabbing his gun and turning his phone back on before rushing out the door.

The second his phone finished loading he was dialing his sister, ignoring her missed calls and voicemails.

 _“Oh,_ now _you’re answering?? Where the hell-”_

“Lisa he’s gone, someone took him!”

_“What?”_

Len was out the door, running for his bike. “The bond, there was panic, sharp pain, and then nothing. Someone took him.”

_“Lenny, that’s, I’m so sorry, but we’ve got a bigger problem.”_

“ _Bigger_ problem?!” Len stopped moving for a second, trying to process that his sister had just said that. “Someone just kidnapped my soulmate!”

_“Lenny, dad’s out of jail.”_

Oh fuck. “Fuck!” That explained the sinking feeling he’d had all day. His timing couldn’t be any worse. Or, better, in his father’s opinion- “Lisa, you don’t think-” He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

_“Why would dad take your soulmate?”_

“Would he though?”

Lisa was silent for a moment. _“He’s one of the few people I can think of who wouldn’t respect the soulbond.”_

“That’s as good as a yes. Get yourself somewhere safe, I’ll reach out to Mick, see if we can-”

_“You’re not benching me now Lenny. Dad took your soulmate to hurt you. He’ll be ready for whatever you can throw at him. You need an edge.”_

Len glanced down at his cold gun. Would it be enough? Even with Mick and the second gun, they were still running dangerously low on firepower. Lisa was right, he needed an edge.

Maybe… He cared about saving people. That was his whole gimmick. But Len needed more information before he tried to get his help. “Lisa, you’ve met Mick before,”

_“This sounds like the start to a bad idea,”_

“I’ve got a gift for him. It’s in the safe house off of Town street. Can you get him on board? I need to do some research.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.....yup. That happened.   
> To be clear I don't know what I'm doing. But thank you for all the support!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
